Police bring down notorious Port-Harcourt kidnap kingpin
…. arrest three gang members
The Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) has gunned down a notorious kidnapper, sea pirate and a Militant General identified as Prosper David in Bayelsa State.
The deceased who was notorious for his many criminal escapades, especially the most recent where he had masterminded the kidnap of Mrs. Tina Bob-Manuel on February 11, 2018 also had his members Benjamin Johnson, Johnson Denis and Anthony Joshua arrested.
It was gathered that David and his gang had allegedly attacked and kidnapped Bob-Manuel in her shop located at No.107 Nvuigwe Road Woji Port-Harcourt and had collected ransom in two Installments.
Investigation revealed that David had embraced the federal Government Amnesty program but later formed a Kidnapping Gang with operated in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State and Bayelsa State.
According to the Police High Command, the suspect had fled on hearing IRT Operatives were on his trail after the kidnap of Bob-Manuel.
Interestingly, “after 90days of painstaking intelligence gathering with Technical assistance and support from TIU, he was traced to his hideout, where he was fatally injured during a gun battle with Operatives of the IRT deployed to Port-Harcourt by IGP Ibrahim Kpotum Idris to Fight Kidnapping and other violent crimes.
“He fled and relocated his family from Victory Estate Azikoro Yenagoa to the Creek in December 2017.
He had also dropped his contact number known to his personal driver Denis that was earlier arrested by the Police.
“This time not relenting and determined to capture the dreaded kidnapper met his waterloo as the Police had tracked the suspect to Asiri area of Yenagoa Bayelsa state to his new rented apartment and on sighting the operatives, he ran into his apartment ceiling from where he engaged the Operatives but was neutralized and fatally injured.”
Exhibit Recovered from him are phone, one AK47 Riffle, one magazine 26 rounds of live ammunition, 4 expended Ammunitions and a Nokia phone belonging to his kidnap victim with which ransom negotiation was done.
The Police say efforts are in top gear to arrest other gang members and to recover more arms.
